A War Correspondent
by suzie2b
Summary: A Sequel to "A Battle Won."


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **A War Correspondent**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Even though the doctors and nurses kept telling them that Tully would recover it was three days before Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch were willing to breathe easy. Their friend had been seriously wounded and had lost a lot of blood before help arrived. And yet, Tully had been more concerned with others than with himself.**

 **On day five Hitch limped into the hospital to find Tully sitting up against some pillows. He sat down in one of the chairs that were always next to the cot and waited for him to wake up. With a soft sigh Hitch put his still healing leg up on another chair and noted that Tully's color was steadily improving.**

 **Without opening his eyes Tully said, "What're you starin' at?"**

 **Hitch smiled. "You. You're looking better."**

 **Tully opened his eyes and shifted carefully. "Probably because I'm actually feeling better. Doc says they're gonna let me sit in a wheelchair tomorrow. How's the leg?"**

" **Better. I don't need the crutches anymore."**

" **I noticed earlier Troy wasn't using the sling. The doc seems to be satisfied with how his shoulder's healing."**

 **Hitch nodded. "Yeah. Moffitt's the only one that's back up to speed. That graze he got is nearly healed up already."**

 **There was a sudden bright flash that momentarily blinded the privates. They both blinked and rubbed their eyes as Hitch said, "Hey! What's goin' on?"**

 **The man behind the camera said with a smile, "Sorry. It was a great shot. I couldn't pass it up."**

 **Hitch frowned. "Who are you?"**

" **Jerry Turner. I'm a photojournalist with Hearst Metrotone News."**

 **Tully asked, "What are you doing here?"**

" **Just following the news."**

 **Another man walked in and said, "I see you found them, Jerry." He looked at Tully and said, "You must be Private Pettigrew."**

 **Tully said, "Yeah, and who wants to know?"**

" **Roger Mitchell. I'm a War Correspondent with Hearst Metrotone News. We're here to shoot the news for the people back home."**

 **Hitch said, "What makes you think the people back home want to see pictures of wounded soldiers?"**

" **People want to see what's going on with our boys. They want to see what they've been reading about in the newspapers. You must be Private Hitchcock." Hitch nodded and Mitchell asked, "Where are Sergeants Troy and Moffitt? We're going to interview them too."**

" **Interview? Why us?"**

" **Jerry and I have been in North Africa for a month now, filming the war and talking to the men and women fighting it. The one thing we hear about time and again is the Rat Patrol. You guys are famous. We'd like to put together a montage of interviews, film, and photographs of the four of you."**

 **Tully looked at Hitch and asked, "What's a 'montage'?"**

 **Hitch said, "They want to do a newsreel on us." He looked at the reporters. "We'll have to get permission before we can talk about anything."**

 **Troy's voice said from behind Mitchell and Turner, "Permission for what?"**

 **The two men turned to face Troy and Moffitt and Mitchell said, "Sergeants Troy and Moffitt?"**

" **Yeah, who're you?"**

" **I'm Roger Mitchell and this is my cameraman Jerry Turner. We're with Hearst Metrotone News."**

 **Hitch said, "They want to make a newsreel of us, sarge."**

 **Moffitt said, "He's right. We will have to get permission from our superior officers before we can do that."**

 **Mitchell pulled out a worn and wrinkled piece of paper. He handed it to Troy and said, "I believe this is the permission you're looking for."**

 **Troy took it and read through it before handing it to Moffitt. Tully asked, "What is it, sarge?"**

 **Troy said, "A letter from High Command giving these two access to whatever they need—within reason—to do their job."**

 **Moffitt said, "It's signed by General Hinchcliffe himself."**

 **Mitchell grinned. "So when can we get started?"**

 **Troy sighed and looked at Moffitt, who gave a shrug. "You can start with Moffitt and me. We'll meet you in the mess tent."**

 **Turner said, "Great! I'll grab my gear and get set up."**

 **##################**

 **A half hour later Troy and Moffitt walked into the mess tent, got coffee and tea, and sat down at the table where Mitchell and Turner were waiting.**

 **Mitchell waited until they were both seated, then asked, "Are you ready?" Both sergeants nodded. "Good. I'm going to do the introduction before we begin the interview. You don't need to look at the camera. Just relax and answer the questions as best you can." Mitchell turned towards the camera and waited for Turner's signal, then said, "This is Roger Mitchell, a War Correspondent with Hearst Metrotone News. I'm here in North Africa with photojournalist Jerry Turner to interview the four brave men of the Long Range Desert Patrol known as the Rat Patrol." He turned around so the camera could see Troy and Moffitt over his shoulder across the table. "On the left is Sergeant Sam Troy, the leader of the unit. Next to him is Sergeant Jack Moffitt, second in command and the only British member of the Rat Patrol." Mitchell paused for moment, then started the questions. "Sergeant Troy, were you drafted or did you enlist?"**

 **Troy's answer was clipped and to the point. "I enlisted in 1935."**

" **How long did it take you to make sergeant?"**

" **A little more than two years."**

 **Mitchell looked at Moffitt. "What about you, Sergeant Moffitt? Did you enlist?"**

" **I enlisted when I first heard that war was a possibility. I was assigned to the Royal Scots Greys after basic training."**

" **How did you become a member of the Rat Patrol?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "I was brought in for a special assignment. When it was over I was offered a permanent placement."**

 **Mitchell turned back to Troy. "It must have taken some getting used to having another sergeant to work with, and a British one to boot. Were there any problems in the beginning?"**

 **Troy said, "It was a bit strained at first. We had just lost one of our guys in a raid. Emotions were running a little high. I retained command and Moffitt became my second. We get along just fine now."**

" **Why did you join the army?"**

" **I was tired of working at a job that was taking me nowhere. I saw a recruiting poster for the army and I've never looked back."**

 **Mitchell said, "Why did you join, Sergeant Moffitt?"**

" **It felt it was the proper thing to do. I certainly don't regret it. I feel we're doing some good out here against the enemy."**

" **Have you ever been a Prisoner of War?"**

 **Moffitt replied, "We've all been captured at one time or another … but we've always been able to get ourselves out of it. So, no, I've not been an actual POW."**

 **Mitchell looked at Troy, "Have you ever been an actual Prisoner of War?"**

 **Troy's eyes hardened. "Yes."**

 **Mitchell could tell that he'd touched on a sore subject and decided to press on. "With all the pressure and stress of the fighting … is there anything you carry with you that you feel brings you luck?"**

 **Troy took a rabbit's foot out of a pocket and said, "A boy gave this to me after we rescued him from the German's who had kidnapped him. I sort of like to think it helps a little."**

 **Mitchell smiled and turned to Moffitt. "Do you carry a good luck charm?"**

 **Moffitt took the Tommy Touchwud charm out of the breast pocket of his shirt. "I believe in making my own luck, but my uncle carried this in World War I. He swore it was why he survived." He smiled. "My mother made sure I had it when I left for basic training."**

" **Can you tell me about your last mission? I've been told all four of you were wounded."**

 **Troy sighed. "It was a recon mission. An Allied spotter plane saw a German platoon in one of our sectors. We were sent to check it out, but when we got to the coordinates there was no sign of them."**

 **Moffitt continued, "We radioed headquarters for an update and then went to an abandoned village we thought would be safe for us to wait. What we discovered was a group of Arab women and children hiding from the SS."**

 **Mitchell asked, "Why would they be hiding from the SS?"**

" **What we were told was the Germans had taken up residence at their village for some time and became rather intimate with some of the local women…"**

 **Troy said, "Long story short, Hitler sent the SS to round those women and their mixed-race children up and execute them. A small group was able to escape and ended up at the village we found them in."**

 **Mitchell was a touch shaken by what he just heard. "The SS would just massacre them?"**

 **Moffitt nodded. "Hitler is all about perfection. In his eyes there can be no mixing of races or cultures."**

" **How did you and your men get wounded?"**

 **Troy replied, "Somehow the Germans found out where these people were hiding. Pettigrew was the first. He took a bullet through the back. The bullet went through him and killed a little boy he was shielding."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "Hitch was next. He ran outside to bring the child's body back and was shot in the leg for his efforts."**

 **Mitchell looked slightly puzzled. "Hitch?"**

" **A nickname that was given to Private Hitchcock. Troy was hit in the shoulder during the firefight. I was the lucky one—a bullet just grazed my arm."**

" **What happened to the women and children?"**

 **Troy said, "They were relocated. They're safe now."**

 **The interview continued with more questions. Troy stayed with his somewhat short, to the point answers while Moffitt was bit more open and animated.**

 **When it was over and camera was off, Turner proceeded to take a few pictures of the sergeants as Mitchell looked at his watch and said, "I think we can get one more interview in today."**

 **Troy said, "If Hitchcock is game, go ahead. Pettigrew still tires easy. It'd be better to wait until tomorrow morning sometime."**

 **##################**

 **Hitch limped into the mess tent and went over to where Mitchell and Turner were waiting. "Troy said you wanted to see me."**

 **Mitchell stood up. "Would you mind doing your interview now?"**

 **Hitch shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"**

 **Turner went to his equipment to make some adjustments as Mitchell said, "Great. Just come over here and sit down. I just need you to relax."**

 **The beginning was the same. Mitchell did the introduction, replacing Troy and Moffitt's names with Private Mark Hitchcock. Then he asked, "What were you doing before you joined the army?"**

 **Hitch said, "I was in college. I enlisted not long after the war started."**

" **I imagine your family wasn't too excited about it."**

" **Being their only child, no they weren't."**

 **Mitchell didn't press and continued with, "How did you come to be a part of the Rat Patrol?"**

 **Hitch sighed. "High Command was just starting to set up a Long Range Desert Patrol when I got here. They were taking volunteers. I was interviewed by Sergeant Troy and Captain Boggs. Next thing I know I was picked to be a driver."**

" **I understand you've been captured by the Germans before. Tell me about that."**

" **We've all been captured on more than one occasion. The Germans are big on interrogation and have some pretty nasty methods to try to get you to talk."**

 **Mitchell asked, "Were you scared during those times?"**

 **Hitch nodded. "I'd be stupid not to be. The Germans have even used us as punching bags to get the others to talk. None of us has ever broken though, and we always manage to escape."**

" **Have the four of you become friends?"**

" **Sure we're friends. We know each other better than we know ourselves. We worry about each other and have to trust each other. I have to know what Troy wants without him having to tell me."**

 **Mitchell nodded thoughtfully. "You're one of the drivers, right?"**

 **Hitch said, "Yeah, me and Tully do the driving. Troy and Moffitt man the 50 caliber machine guns in the back."**

" **Do you carry anything that you hope brings you luck?"**

 **Hitch smiled and pulled his dog tags out of the front of his shirt. At the end of the chain with the tags was a charm in the shape of a four-leaf clover. "It got me through the entrance exams for college. I figured it couldn't hurt to have it here with me too."**

" **Your sergeants told me a little about your last mission. Can you give me your thoughts on what happened?"**

" **Our mission was recon, but the Germans we were sent to find had left the area. We found some women and children hiding in an abandoned village because the SS was after them." Hitch frowned angrily. "Just because there were kids that were mixed-race with Germans, Hitler called for what Sergeant Moffitt called a 'culling.' If Der Führer doesn't like what's happening, he should be punishing the Germans who did it … not the children and their mothers who were most likely were taken against their will."**

 **Mitchell asked, "What about your leg?"**

 **Hitch grimaced as he said, "Tully took a bullet in the back. Once we got him inside, I went out to bring a little kid's body in to his mother. Tully had tried to save him, but … well, I just couldn't leave him out there even though he was dead. Anyway, I zigged when I shoulda zagged I guess. Bullet went through my calf."**

 **The interview went on much as it had with Troy and Moffitt. Some of the questions were more difficult to answer than others. When it was over, Hitch was relieved. Turner took a few pictures of the private before starting to pack up his equipment. Hitch asked, "Are you gonna talk to Tully now?"**

 **Mitchell replied, "Sergeant Troy suggested I wait until tomorrow, since he is still recovering."**

 **Hitch nodded. "Good. He needs to rest."**

 **##################**

 **Around midmorning the next day Mitchell and Turner went to the hospital and found Moffitt sitting next to Tully's cot reading. Forever the photojournalist, Turner quickly got his camera out and took two pictures of the scene. It didn't seem to bother Tully, so Moffitt ignored the flashes.**

 **Mitchell knelt next to the chair the sergeant was sitting in and whispered, "Is everything okay?"**

 **Moffitt paused and nodded. "He had a bad night. Reading helps him relax and know that someone he knows is here."**

" **If he's asleep, how does he know your reading to him?"**

 **Moffitt smiled with a shrug. "He can hear me. If I ask him about what I've read, he'll know. I suggest you delay the interview a while so he can get a little sleep."**

 **Mitchell looked at Tully's pale face and said, "Yeah. Sure, no problem. We'll come back after lunch."**

 **When Roger Mitchell and Jerry Turner returned at about 12:30, they discovered that not just Moffitt was there, but Troy and Hitch as well. Tully was still a bit pale and Mitchell asked, "Do you feel up to doing the interview? I was told you had a bad night. We can wait…"**

 **Tully said quietly, "No, it's okay. I can do it."**

 **Turner set up his camera, Mitchell went through his introduction, and then asked, "What were you doing before you chose to serve your country?"**

 **Tully smiled slightly. "I was running moonshine in Kentucky."**

 **Mitchell grinned with surprise. "Moonshine?"**

" **It brought some extra money to my family."**

 **Mitchell nodded understandingly. "Why the army?"**

" **Just felt I had something to offer the army more than the navy."**

 **Hitch said with a grin, "He gets seasick."**

 **Mitchell said, "I guess it is better that you chose the army then."**

 **Tully agreed, "Thing is, I didn't know I got seasick until I got out here. We had an assignment out on the coast that included a fishing boat…"**

" **Enough said. "How did you become one of the Rat Patrol?"**

" **I guess they weren't gettin' enough of the right volunteers. My superiors somehow found out about previous occupation and assigned me to be a driver."**

 **Mitchell asked, "So you and Private Hitchcock drive. Who's your gunner?"**

 **Tully looked at Moffitt and replied, "Sergeant Moffitt. When he joined us, he tried riding with both me and Hitch. Turns out the sarge and I are a better fit."**

" **I've discovered that the others all have good luck charms of one kind or another. Do you have one?"**

 **Tully took a small plastic sleeve from under his pillow. In it was his service ID. He turned it over and smiled at the picture he saw before handing it to Mitchell and saying, "My wife Charley. She's my good luck charm."**

 **Mitchell smiled and handed the picture back. "Best good luck charm I've ever seen." Then he said, "I understand you've received a metal." Tully blushed a little. "A Silver Star is nothing to be embarrassed about."**

" **I'm very proud to have been awarded the Silver Star. I've just never understood why Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch don't have one too."**

 **Troy said, "We were captured by some Germans. They took Tully to Mt. Cameroon to play a little 'game.' Because he managed to survive and get the rest of us released we recommended him for the metal."**

 **Mitchell said, "It certainly sounds like you earned it." When Tully made no further comment, he changed the subject. "Would you mind talking to me about your last assignment? The one you're recovering from."**

 **Tully asked, "What do you want to know?"**

" **The sergeants and Private Hitchcock have told me what happened. Maybe you could just give me your thoughts."**

 **Tully sighed and looked down at the blanket that covered his lap. Moffitt put a hand on one leg and said, "You don't have to, you know?"**

 **The private nodded. "I know … but maybe it'll help to talk."**

" **It just might."**

 **Tully started, "What happened is the reason I've had a rough time sleeping since we got here. Why I had a bad night last night." He hesitated before he continued. "I guess I shouldn't have let Juman play with the jeep's horn."**

 **Hitch said, "It wasn't your fault, Tully."**

" **But if…"**

 **Troy said, "Hitch is right. They would've snuck up on us either way."**

 **Tully decided to let that part drop. "Juman was only about four or five years old. He decided he needed to follow me around … and I let him. I went out to get blankets out of the jeeps and put Juman on the seat to play with the steering wheel. He found the horn button and loved the noise it made." Tully took a shaky breath as he continued, "A bullet ricocheted off the jeep next to me. The last thing I remember was grabbing Juman … then I found out he was dead. Now when I close my eyes I see his wide dark eyes and smiling face."**

 **Tully fell silent and Mitchell didn't know what to say. Moffitt finally said, "Children and war are never a good mix. We tend to care a little too much and the Germans not enough."**

 **Hitch said, "Except for Captain Dietrich."**

 **They all chuckled and Troy said, "Yeah, he is a bit different than most of the other Germans out there."**

 **Mitchell asked, "Who's Captain Dietrich?"**

" **He's been after us since our unit was formed. The captain is the main target of our harassment."**

 **Hitch grinned. "The Germans even have wanted posters for us."**

 **Moffitt said, "The good captain is quite determined to collect the bounty one day."**

 **Tully smiled. "He's had us a few times, but he can't seem to hang onto us too long."**

 **Troy said, "Captain Dietrich isn't all bad. He's a good soldier, a good captain, and a fair man … for a German."**

 **Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully regaled stories of their life with Captain Hans Dietrich. Some serious, some humorous, all enthralling to Mitchell and Turner.**

 **After a time, it was obvious to all of them that Tully was ready to sleep. Mitchell said, "Well, looks like we've got enough material to put together a darn good newsreel."**

 **Tully yawned. "Don't leave on my account."**

 **Mitchell smiled. "You just take it easy and heal up." He looked at Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch and said, "That goes for all of you."**

 **Turner picked up his camera and asked hopefully, "Do you think I could get a few pictures of you guys together?"**

 **Tully said, "Together is the only way we come."**

 **##################**

 **Roger Mitchell and photojournalist Jerry Turner came away with an awareness that the Rat Patrol was more than just a special unit in the army. They were close, like brothers. They cared and watched out for each other. In the years the newsmen had worked together covering the war they'd seen injured and shell-shocked soldiers. Death seemed to be a constant. They'd seen comradery and friendships. But neither Mitchell nor Turner had ever seen such a bond as what the four men of the Rat Patrol had.**

 **When the newsreel was released to theaters, Roger Mitchell had been proud to say during the closing credits that "Sergeant Sam Troy, Sergeant Jack Moffitt, Private Mark 'Hitch' Hitchcock, and Private Tully Pettigrew had given him hope." Hope and a realistic sense that the Allies would come out on top.**


End file.
